Elementary Box December 2015

I was very lucky to receive a free box to review from the Elementary Box subscription service. I love, love, love subscriptions services and probably order more than I need to but this one really excited me. A box devoted strictly to teachers! How awesome is that?

A little info on the service, it is a monthly subscription and it is customized to your specific grade level. So the box I am opening is a 4th grade box but if you teach a different grade your items would be different from mine.

The cost of the subscription is $29 a month, $81 for three months, and $150 for 6 months. Shipping and Handling is free no matter which length of time you select. The longer you subscribe the cheaper the box becomes and the promised value of each box is $40+.

The contents of the box is mostly for use in the classroom, but they also make a point to tuck an item or two into the box for the purpose of pampering an exhausted teacher.

Here are the contents for the 4th Grade December 2015 box!

The first item I took out were Snowman Myface Bulletin Board Accents. I was very happy these accents were winter/seasonal themed as opposed to be holiday themed. As I teach in a very multicultural district I tend to decorate my classroom based on the seasons as opposed to monthly holidays. Plus, a perk to season decor is I only have to decorate three times a year instead of monthly. Plus once you put pictures of your students faces in these they will be adorable. Retail value, $4.99 for 36 accents.

Next was a package of Mini Polar Bear erasers that were just too cute. They are very small so they are more for prizes or rewards as opposed to being longterm useful erasers but children love to receive little trinkets like these. Again, I like that these are winter themed. Retail value, $3.00 for 48 erasers.

I think the idea behind these Tasty Task Idiom, Adages, and Proverb Task Cards is brilliant. It is a pack of 50 two sided cards with a variety of phrases that people use everyday in context based sentences. Then students have to guess was the idiom means. An answer guide is provided so I would make two or three copies and laminate so students would have the ability to self check their answers. It also came with two metal rings so you and make two packs. This would be great for four children to work in groups of two and practice. One can be a reader and the other a guesser. Then the reader can check the answer sheet to confirm if the guesser was correct or not. After three chances the two students would swap roles. This item makes for a super easy learning center or even an activity to work on during a Daily 5 rotation. Retail value, $9.99 for set.

The item I was most excited about was the Exploring Nonfiction set. It contained 24 glossy cards with a high interest nonfiction article on one side and then Common Core aligned questions on the back. The articles include many feature of expository text, such as words in bold print, tables, information charts, titles, subheadings, and the like. These would be perfect for projecting on to your white board and dissecting the text as a whole group, or even making copies of the front and back and using as mini assessments to see if your students are applying the different skills and strategies you are presenting during Daily 5 or reading in general. Retail value, $12.99 for a set of 24 article cards.

The last item in the box was the pampering item for the teacher. This month is was a jar of Hanna Herbals Peppermint Foot Cream.

This is a very thick cream made from peppermint oil, almond oil, jojoba butter, and shea butter. I like that it is all natural ingredients. The smell is wonderful and the peppermint would definitely feel good on tired and achey feet. Retail value, $10.99 from www.etsy.com/shop/HannaHerbalFarms

I have to say I loved this box. I really thought the items inside were incredibly well curated, extremely useful, and things I will incorporate into my classroom almost immediately. I think I will order the three month subscription since $81 is easier to afford than $150 and that brings the per box price down to $27 a box! To order your own visit www.elementarybox.com.